When Labor Day came and went earlier this month, it reminded us of the American labor movement and the contributions American workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of the good ol' U.S. of A.

However, since we're Guitar World people, we couldn't help but apply those sentiments to music and the American people who made and make it—bands!

This, in turn, led to thoughts and theories about the greatest American band of all time, which led us to our latest readers' poll—the Best American Rock Band Ever! Yes, the gangs from Guitar World and Sweetwater want to get GW readers—you people!—involved as we attempt to crown the Best American Rock Band Ever!

Although we had thousands of bands to choose from, we decided to narrow things down to 32, which is perfect for a month's worth of intense—and fun (it's supposed to be fun, people!) matchups. All the bands were carefully selected by Guitar World's editorial staff.

Note that this poll includes current bands and bands that disappeared into the woodwork years ago. Also, if you're wondering why the Jimi Hendrix Experience aren't on this list, they weren't an American band. Hendrix was American, but he's not a band. Band of Gypsys were American, but they simply didn't make the cut based on the music released under the "Band of Gypsys" moniker. It's one of many tough sacrifices we had to make along the way. Speaking of which, be sure to read "How the Bracket Was Compiled" at the bottom of this story.

Anyway, here are our 32 American bands, which are presented in alphabetical order. You also can check out the entire 32-band bracket below.

Enjoy our Best American Rock Band Ever Poll, which is sponsored by Sweetwater!

Today's Matchup

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Although they eschewed the genre-expanding experimentation of the era in favor of concise singles, Creedence Clearwater Revival was as integral to late-Sixties American rock as any band of the era. With swampy hits like “Born on the Bayou” and “Down on the Corner,” the California quartet presaged Southern rock and Americana. With other hits, like the blistering “Fortunate Son,” the band showed a surprisingly astute political eye. Having never reunited after their breakup in the early Seventies, CCR have faded slightly from public view, which is a sad fate for one of America’s most underrated rock bands.

Steely Dan

Perhaps the epitome of the slickness of late Seventies West Coast rock, Steely Dan made a career out of making the intricate and complex sound easy. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen rounded up the absolute best session musicians on the planet, and with them crafted jazz-inflected rock that was as smooth as silk. Love them or hate them, you have to admire the craftsmanship behind their music. It’s obvious that every riff, every drum hit, every track of vocals, was labored over meticulously. Music can never be truly perfect, but Becker and Fagen did their absolute best to make it perfect.

Vote Now!

The polls have closed! Steely Dan will advance to the next round. Be sure to check out the current matchup at GuitarWorld.com.

Behold the Latest Bracket!

How the Bracket Was Compiled

Here's how the bracket was—very unscientifically—compiled.

We drew the artists' names out of a hat (It was, in fact, a smelly Quebec Nordiques baseball cap) to help us create our bracket, which is available for your viewing pleasure below. Obviously, none of these of bands are ranked or come from a previously compiled list, so we chose purely random matchups to have as little impact as possible on the final outcome. We're actually pretty pleased with the way the bracket turned out.

Remember that, as with any poll, genre might occasionally clash against genre, so you'll just need to decide which artist has (or has had) the most to offer within his/their genre, perhaps which one has or had more natural talent or technical skill, which one had the biggest influence on other live acts, etc.

As always, you can vote only once per matchup (once per device, that is), and we'll be posting match-ups pretty much every day of the month, sometimes more than once per day, just to give you an early warning.